Profoundly Platonic
by ScholarlySword
Summary: When Claire moved to Mineral Town she befriended a certain outcast, never believing that it could lead to something more. Though it didn't last very long because any feelings the man reciprocated were destroyed when he found out about her secret.


**Hello everyone! This is one of my first fanfictions, I took a break a while ago to improve my writing skills. I think that I've improved from where I was previously as a writer, so I am debuting this Harvest Moon fanfic that I have been wanting to write for a long time.**

**Please review as I try to respond to all feedback and also because I just plain appreciate it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon**

**Please enjoy the first chapter of Profoundly Platonic.**

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><p>She reminded her of a cow. Nothing more than a heifer chewing on a fistful of cud. Though the young woman standing before her was not a cow, and the cud was her red hair that hung lifelessly in a braided fashion. However the similarities of the two were astounding, and she should know, considering that the redhead was her best friend, and she owned three cows. Being a farmer Claire thought a lot about these things-probably more than she should have. Or maybe she was just bored to death and had nothing to do. Nevertheless, her friend did not take kindly to the lack of attention she was getting, because today she had "big news".<p>

Claire realized this and turned her full attention to her cow-like friend.

"-he's a bit shy though, but I think a trait like that is fixable. Anyways, as I was-Claire!"

Claire quickly apologized."I'm sorry, Ann. My mind's just been on a loop today, but I'll try to pay more attention."

Ann looked quizzical. "I understand, I guess. I'd be bored too if I was a smelly ole' farmer with no life."

The blonde was used to these comments, so she felt that it was safe to administer an equally sardonic remark.

"Well at least I'm not a victim of over parenting and unrequited love! If I have to hear you talk about that frumpy traveler one more time, I'm going to befriend Dr. Trent for a more stimulating conversation." Claire said, knowing full well of the Doc's monotone and interest in all things medical and boring.

Ann huffed and continued wiping off the tables of the Inn where she worked. Claire smirked and propped her feet up on the table knowing that her neat-freak friend would _not_ be pleased. Ann gave her the stink eye, which was surprisingly frightening. Claire was what you'd call a tomboy with an attitude but even she knew that when Ann was in her cleaning mode…it was best to back off. Her father could have been blamed for this considering that not only did he own the Inn, but as a single parent he raised Ann as he saw fit. Unfortunately something in his parenting strategy went wrong and he ended up with a nineteen year old daughter who was not only a control freak, but(as Claire figured)slightly OCD.

Now this was not to say that Claire didn't have her own problems, in fact she was sure that she had more than Ann. However, unlike Ann, she didn't feel the need to whine about them incessantly. Most would ask why she would put up with this quirk if she so strongly disliked it, and the reason was fairly simple. They both lacked the one thing that girls their age seem to execute the most of: judgment. It didn't matter what either of them did, said, or implied to someone else. They both seemed to have matured to the point where they could accept that they were going to make mistakes…and that was their best friend connection.

The blonde's break was now over though, and her reminiscing had come to an end so she bade farewell to her friend and silently left the Mineral Town Inn.

She shuddered under the night sky and rubbed her mittens together, relishing the moment's warmth that was so rare on a late winter's night. She sighed as she realized that the snow was like an envious prowess. Alluring at first glance, but always ready strike if one's guard is let down. That's why she walked home slowly, well that and one other reason. This reason was a person, a male person to be exact. This particular guy wasn't special or anything, in fact the only reason she strolled through the cobblestone pathways of the town so leisurely was that Ann was adamant that she befriend the best friend of her own love interest. Claire had refused at first, until Ann offered free meals on weekends(a deal breaker since Claire didn't have the money to buy the meals herself, and also because Ann's father, Doug, was the best cook that she'd ever met). She was beginning to regret this though, as she realized just who exactly Cliff's best friend was.

_Speak of the devil_,Claire murmured to herself as she spotted said person coming out of the blacksmith shop. Now on routine, she subtly slipped by his side and started a painfully silent exchange of awkward conversation.

"So Gray…how is um blacksmithing lately?" The farmer uttered while mentally face palming herself several times.

Gray peered through his hat surprised. "Fine."

_Not much of a conversationalist huh?_ Claire said silently. This was beginning to be a bigger bother than free curry rice was worth. Still she did find it a bit amusing that "Big Bad Gray" got so tripped up around the opposite gender. She would've said something to embarrass him for fun, except that she too was shy around guys. So instead of that she smiled up at him and continued walking to her farm. Only then did she realize that she had actually received a small smile from Gray in return. She grinned at the small feat, perhaps this would be the beginning of a new friendship.

Looking up, the blonde was surprised to find that she was at the entrance of her farm. It was then that she realized just how beautiful it was, covered in snow. Despite the nuisance that came with not being able to plant crops, winter had brought out the accents of her land. It had really changed from when she first arrived in Mineral Town almost two seasons ago. She realized that she was a long ways away from having a successful farm, but she didn't care because farming was her passion. She would have never discovered that if she hadn't left her home. Sure she missed her family, but her parents didn't exactly support her decisions. All in all, moving to Mineral Town was undoubtedly the best she'd ever made.

Claire awoke the next morning feeling slightly groggy. She begrudgingly lifted herself off of her bed and looked around her small cabin which consisted of a small bed, small kitchen, small table, and a few other very small accents. Claire didn't mind though, and she knew that she could always call Gotz the woodcutter if she wanted a house upgrade.

Claire padded to her full length mirror in the corner of her room and peered at her reflection. She wasn't what most people would call ugly, but she wasn't pretty either. With her long unruly blonde hair, gray blue eyes, pale skin, and a tendency to wear overalls that were too big for her…she was on the bad side of plain.

The farmer quickly shook her head from those thoughts and proceeded to get ready for the day. When she deemed herself acceptable for public, she grabbed her trademark rucksack and got ready to head out the door. As she was making her way to the door she felt a small tug on the hem of her overalls. It was her small brown puppy, Penny. She knew that Penny wanted to go with her as she did her farm chores, but Penny was a bit unruly around her farm animals. She decided to hold off on letting her go for now, because today she'd be getting her first chicken…and Penny loved to "play" with her smaller animals.

So before Claire left, she managed to get Penny back into her doggie bed. When she was satisfied of her dog's comfort and safety, the blonde finally left her cabin for the day.

Her first and only stop was her tiny barn which consisted of four feed boxes, a birthing pen, and a big water trough. Wiping her hands on her white bandana, she got to work. First she emptied two whole armfuls of fodder into each of the bins. Then she went around to brush, pet, and inspect her livestock. Claire ogled over her baby sheep which she had recently purchased from Barley, the livestock salesman. He was a kindly old man that had a soft spot for Claire. Barley said that she reminded him of his wayward daughter, Joanna, who had left her daughter in his care so she could go live it up in the city. For the life of her, she couldn't understand why anyone would give up a little girl as sweet as May. Nevertheless, she loved spending time with the two. In fact, she babysat May on most Saturdays. For these kind gestures Barley often gave Claire free animal products and discounts on the livestock themselves. She kept telling him that it was no trouble and that watching the seven year old was its own reward, but the old man was as stubborn as May was. That's how the blonde had ended up with a barn full of animals in her second season of farming. Not that she complained either. Claire had always been an animal person, so when she racked up three beautiful cows, and the cutest lamb in Mineral Town, a part of her had felt fulfilled.

Though as scary as being responsible for another life was, it was the sense of purpose and responsibility that kept Claire happy. So when she was done caring for her animals for the day she felt a small pang of sadness.

That was when the farmer realized that she _really_ needed to get more friends.

She wasn't a total loser though. In fact, she got along with almost everyone in the town with the exception of the three gossips of the Town Square. It was odd considering that the real scandals in the town had generated from _their _specific families. Manna, Anna, and Sasha were radiating with the purest form of hypocrisy and there were heaps of evidence to prove it.

Take Manna for example. She and her husband, Duke, own the town winery. So it's kind of ironic that Duke is a drunk that constantly causes trouble throughout the town. So it's no surprise that their daughter escaped as soon as she was of age, despite the not-so-clever cover that the couple used to fool everyone with. Sasha isn't much better either, but at least she can control her husband. She constantly uses Jeff to get her way, and it doesn't help that he's a pushover either. Last year they almost had to leave the town because Jeff kept giving away merchandise from their store, free of charge. This resulted in loud yelling matches on Sasha's part, causing Jeff to form a highly evolved defense mechanism consisting of weekly trips to the town clinic for his no-so-real stomach pains. So with all of this you could say that Anna was the "normal" one, though she did have some slightly questionable qualities. Like Sasha, she too was a bit controlling. Especially when it came to her seventeen year old daughter, Mary. She wouldn't let go and realize that Mary needed to grow up, not that the mousy raven-haired librarian would say so.

Now you're probably wondering how someone who was new to the town had an inside look at the dirty history. It was simple, Claire had a spy. Yep, Mary was not only the founding member of her and Ann's threesome of friends, but having one of the gossips as a mom was a pure advantage. So they were usually up to date on all things secretive, which wasn't hard in a town of thirty people at max.

So Claire wasn't a bit surprised when she heard a new secret being churned out as she passed the Town Square that day. Though this one wasn't nearly as home-wrecking as some of the other gems that the three low lives had conjured up in their prime. Actually, it was quite exciting news…if it happened to be true. Supposedly a son of one of the older villagers was back from traveling to fetch medicine in the city. This was immensely enticing, and Claire wasn't a selfish person so she quickly gathered her two best friends to share the gift of unreliable news.

After the threesome was gathered and situated in the confines of the Mineral Town library, the questioning began. It was the rowdiest girl in the group that spoke first.

"Gosh Claire, if you pull me by my braid against my will again I'll-"

"Not now Ann, I have big news!", Claire interrupted, hoping to make Ann forget about the manner in which she used to drag her friend into the library.

"Oh really? Like yesterday when _I_ had something very important to tell you about Cli-", Ann retorted.

Claire cut her off once again. "This is bigger than you're love life Annie. I heard it from the girls in the Square!"

Ann rolled her eyes and the two turned to the small voice next to them that they'd almost forgotten about.

"Well w-what's the big news Claire?", the librarian uttered.

Ann and Mary eyed Claire expectantly. "Well I heard that someone's supposed to return to the village today. I was hoping that you guys would tell me who the person was so I could use my womanish charm to greet said boy."

Ann and Mary busted out laughing, recalling Claire's inevitable and self-admitted social awkwardness when it came to Mineral Town's bachelors. They stopped however, when they saw the evil glare on the blonde's face. Mary, being the empathetic one regained the composure of the conversation by being her usual peacemaker self.

"Well um..", she giggled, recalling Claire's previous comment. "This certainly is good news, but I don't recall anyone who would be returning in the middle of winter. I m-mean there's Kai but…", she trailed off.

Ann and Claire giggled at Mary's obvious blush. Claire wasn't exactly familiar with the name, but if he could make the shy teen blush, he must be one heck of a guy. She made a mental note to ask Ann who this "Kai" was later, because right now she was genuinely concerned as to who was arriving today. So they temporally dropped the subject of Mary's love affairs and moved on.

Ann sighed. "This is really bothering me now. I don't remember anyone even leaving the island…"

This went on for a good twenty until Claire finally ended the pointless chatter. "Okay well I guess I'll just have to find out myself. Let's meet up at the Inn later for dinner and I guarantee you that I'll have the scoop. First thing first though. I have to buy a chicken from Mrs. Lillia's and then I-"

Ann interrupted."That's right! Rick left two seasons ago, right before you got here. He went to purchase medicine for Lillia. I forgot that he left."

Mary laughed. "Oh that's right. I guess I kind of forgot too. Poor Lillia though…I don't know how they can run the poultry farm _and_ still afford those fancy medicines."

Claire frowned. "I'm sure they're doing the best they can. It still irks me though that you two can forget some who you've spent your who life with. I don't think that Rick would be happy to hear that."

Ann laughed hysterically. "I don't think that he'd mind very much Cuh-laire. He's kind of a loser. Not in a bad way though, he's just…a nerdy chicken obsessed guy."

Mary nodded in agreement. "Yeah…n-not in a mean way…he's just awkward."

Claire sighed and picked up her rucksack. "Okay guys, thanks for the info. I think I'm gonna judge him on my own terms though. I'll see you later tonight and I'll tell you guys all about my wonderful new chicken that I'm gonna get."

Claire waved at her friends and headed out the door. Walking down the cobblestone path, she thought back to the scarce run-ins that she'd had with Lillia, and why she never spoke of her son. It didn't matter now though, because she was headed to the Poultry Farm to make a purchase.

As she was just about to turn past the gate of her farm that led her to the shop, she was abruptly knocked down by a flurry of pink. Looking up she realized that it was Popuri, one of the younger teens in the village who happened to be Lillia's only daughter. She didn't spend much time with her as she usually was off with Karen, one of Claire's frenemies on the island. Though as she looked up and saw the broken but apologetic expression on her ruby-eyed faced, Claire felt compelled to intervene. This did not need to be said however, because Popuri was sobbing her eyes out and telling the story whether she wanted to hear or not.

"H-he's just _so_ inconsiderate! An hour! He's only been here an hour and he's already making me feel like dirt. Kai's not even here and h-", Popuri sobbed.

The rest of her sentence was caught in a mess of whines and sobs. Claire hardly knew the pink haired Popuri but already she felt compelled to defend her. When she found out who was responsible making the sixteen year old cry, she's be sure that they'd never do it again. There was one small problem in her way though…

"Popuri, who are you talking about? Oh…" Claire slowed as pieced it together.

Then she suddenly let go of her sensible self and went flying into the Poultry Farm, leaving a puzzled teen behind. That was when she came to yet another abrupt stop that day. The suspect seemed to be nowhere in sight and Lillia was the only one in the room. Claire shuffled over to the counter.

"Oh, hello Mrs. Lillia, um I was just wondering where your son was. I heard he came back from the city today." Claire mumbled, gritting her teeth lightly.

Lillia lit up, before a sad smile settled on her face. "Oh yes Claire. He arrived a little while ago, I'm afraid that you just missed him. You must've ran into Popuri on the way."

Claire turned, shocked that Lillia was so perceptive.

Lillia smiled and spoke again."With the way you stormed in the door, I'm a little glad that he dismissed himself.", giggling, Lillia continued. "They just got into another fight as you can see, it's only normal, but sometimes I worry. Don't be fooled though, Rick really does love his sister, but he can be overbearing at times. Also as you can see…well to be frank, Popuri has always been a bit overdramatic."

Claire smiled, enticed by the way Lillia spoke about her children. She only wished that her own mother could be half as caring as she was. Her thoughts were interrupted though, as Lillia continued.

"Oh, I'm sorry Claire. I guess I just got carried away, you know an old woman like me doesn't have very many people to talk to. To think I was boring you the entire time…you haven't even met Rick for Goddess' sake…"

Claire smiled again. "No, it's fine really! I enjoyed it, I only wish that my own mother would've been that open with me. Though if you want adult companionship I can always call Manna and-"

Lillia cut her off, laughing. "Oh Goddess no! I could talk about chickens the whole time and she'd come out telling everyone that I was having a secret affair or something."

Claire laughed, but noted that Lillia's cheeks became a bit pinker when she mentioned a secret affair. She shook it off though, and continued chatting as if that was the reason that she's stopped by in the first place.

By the end of the chat she had learned that the reason Rick had to travel to the city for special medicine was that Lillia had a very serious illness. The medicine was hoped to be the cure but Lillia knew that what was plaguing her would not be diminished by even the top of the line treatments. That's why her husband left many years ago to find a magic flower that was said to bloom only once every ten years…in a treacherous desert at that. She explained that the lack of a father figure made Rick adapt to the role on his own. This instantly made Claire regret the things that she had planned to say to Rick. In fact, she felt a little guilty.

"You know Claire, we've all been handed a piece of clay. Mine may have been damaged, or yours even more so. Though it's not how the clay was when we received it, it's what we mold it into that matters. You don't have any reason to feel bad, just know that when you accept things as they are, well that's when you gain the power to control and eventually change them.", Lillia whispered.

Claire looked up at the pink haired philosopher in awe. "You are so right, I-I've never thought of it that way. Thanks Mrs. Lillia"

"Oh please, call me Lillia. Mrs. makes me sound old.", she laughed before continuing. "Okay, there must have been some other reason besides wanting to murder my son that you came in here for."

Claire turned red and stared at her shoes before regaining her composure. "Actually I wanted to buy a chicken.

Lillia's eyes lit up. "Well then dear, you have come to the right place."

She motioned Claire to the counter, where she did all of the business transactions.

"Okay so you want one chicken and thirty bags of feed, correct?", Lillia countered.

Claire lit up in excitement, she was finally going to get a chicken! "Yes ma'am, oh and can you throw in two animal medicine bottles just to be safe?"

Lillia smiled. "Of course, a wise choice to be prepared. Okay Claire, your total comes to one thousand three hundred G."

Claire frowned. "That can't be right, you didn't count the cost of the chicken."

"It's on the house as long as you promise to keep this old woman company from time to time."

Claire smiled in gratitude and really studied Lillia for the first time. She was slender and had a small frame at an even five feet. She had hair like Popuri's, only hers was a bit longer and had a few gray slivers mixed in. Though the blonde didn't see why Lillia called herself an old woman. She was well into her forties obviously, but so were the parents of the other girls her age that resided in the town. To be blunt, Lillia was the most youthful looking out of all of them.

Still, she gave Lillia the gold and assured her that she'd visit as much as possible.

"Well I guess I have to be getting all of that feed back to my farm now, though I don't know how...". Claire trailed off.

"Oh no, of course you won't have to carry that yourself. I'll have Rick deliver your purchases to your farm tomorrow morning, but first you'll need to name your chicken.". Lillia explained.

Claire, against her better judgment, let out a squeal. She had the perfect name in mind and she did not hesitate to share it with her new friend.

"I think I'll name her Quackers!"

Lillia giggled a little louder this time. "What a wonderful choice. I'd like to show her to you, but I'm afraid that I'm a bit too frail to take her out of the coop, especially with the rooster in there. Don't worry though, you'll get to see her soon enough, but I really have enjoyed chatting with you, Claire. I try to visit like this with my daughter, but she's always been a get up and go type of person. Speaking of that, I wonder where she went…it's getting late."

"Do you want me to go get her? I was supposed to meet my friends in town anyway so I can send her back over here if you want.", Claire offered.

"That would be wonderful Claire. If you see Rick can you send him over too? I think he said he was going to the Inn to meet Karen, so who knows what he's gotten himself into now.", Lillia sighed.

Claire agreed once again and assured Lillia that she'd get the job done, before heading out into the cool evening air. Then she made her way to the hotel slash restaurant slash bar that was the Mineral Town Inn.

One she was safely in the confines of the warm building, Claire sat down at the table and proceeded to look for her friends. Then she remembered the promise that she made to Lillia, so she began to look for Popuri and Rick as well. That was when her eyes caught the bar, and she found the siblings.

Popuri was sitting next to an obviously intoxicated Karen who seemed to be embarrassing Rick by calling him out on the fight that happened between him and his sister earlier that day. Popuri also seemed to be a bit embarrassed and looked regretful that she had told Karen the story. However Claire had a job to do, and even though it might be awkward for her she had promised Lillia.

"Popuri?", Claire questioned before going on. "Lillia wanted me to send you home now, she's been worried."

Popuri nodded, thankful for chance to escape the awkward encounter between Karen and Rick. She hurried out of the Inn, a pink blanket of curly hair trailing behind her.

Claire sighed and realized that Karen had gone to torment Duke, challenging him to a drinking contest to see who could _really_ hold their liquor. She was grateful for this as she didn't want be caught in one of Karen's misfires herself. So with Karen out of the way she felt that it might be a good time to actually meet Rick, the person who she'd heard so much about from Lillia.

Claire then slid into the bar stool next to him that Karen had previously occupied, before turning to look at him for the first time.

Rick had a tall, lanky build that accommodated his shoulder length red-orange hair and green sweatshirt which he wore under a blue apron. His eyes seemed to pop under his big round glasses and wild bangs that he seemed to have tried to tame by wearing a large white ninja band around his forehead. The feature that stood out the most though was his jaw line. It was firm and square, leaving previous doubts as to what gender he was behind. That feature was exactly what Claire was staring at when she introduced herself.

"You must be Rick, I'm Claire. I moved here two seasons ago to take over the old farm by your house."

Rick looked up, his tired eyes seemed to take the shape of surprise when he saw an unfamiliar face. Nevertheless he introduced himself calmly, while asking for a refill of strawberry milk.

"Nice to meet you. I heard that someone new had arrived, I didn't know that it was a girl. I mean n-not that you couldn't run a farm or anything, it's just that-", he stuttered.

Claire laughed wholeheartedly. "I know, it's kind of shocking to most people at first. I guess I've always been a hands on type of person, manual labor keeps me healthy and occupied. Goddess knows that I need to keep busy, especially during the winter. The snow is pretty and all, but there's just nothing to do."

Rick smiled, glad to have found a common interest. "Yeah, I hate the cold…it makes caring for chickens all the more frustrating."

Claire beamed, remembering her recent purchase. Then she remembered why she had talked to Rick in the first place.

"Oh um Lillia wanted me to tell you that she's worried and she wants you to come home soon. I already told Popuri, so you don't have to worry about her."

Rick looked down, embarrassed. "Yeah, my Mom is always worrying too much, but uh thanks for telling my sister. She probably wouldn't have listened to me anyway."

Doug then arrived with Rick's strawberry milk, careful not to interrupt their idle chitchat. Claire eyed the drink with envy. Rick noticed and laughed.

"I take it that you're a fan of strawberry milk too. Here, you can have some of mine."

Claire blushed and took a small sip. "Thanks, it's nice to know that someone else in this town likes strawberry milk…Ann and Mary hate it."

Rick blushed also, before changing the subject. "So I guess I better be going, It was nice meeting you though. If uh your going home now…I c-could walk you to your farm."

"O-okay.", Claire stuttered.

Rick turned. "I mean, it's on the way so it's no big deal."

Claire nodded and adjusted her rucksack, noting the sad look he gave Karen. It was obvious that the two were good friends, but Rick still seemed disappointed in her behavior.

"Actually Claire, I think I better get Karen back to her house before she causes anymore trouble.", Rick said, ashamed in his friend.

The two turned their gazed to Karen, who was gloating to a passed out Duke that indeed it was she who was Mineral Town's drinking champion. Unfortunately Karen saw the two staring at her and she quickly made her way over.

She gave Claire a once over before snaking her tanned delicate arm around Rick who was as surprised as Claire was. It seemed that Karen had gotten the wrong idea, and she didn't hesitate to share what that idea was.

"Ricky!", She whined before continuing. "What are you dooooing talking to that fil-filthy farm guuurl when you could be spending time with your h-hot gurrrrlfriend?", Karen slurred.

Claire raised an eyebrow at the hiccupping temptress. "Actually I was just leaving Karen."

Rick looked up apologetically at the blonde. "She doesn't mean it Claire, just ignore her. That's why she shouldn't drink so much."

Claire nodded, still hurt by Karen's comment. Rick noticed this and tried to make up for it.

"She'll be fine in the morning, I'll just go take her home now. I can come back if you w-wan-"

He was then cut off once again by Karen who planted a big wet kiss right on his mouth. Rick gasped in surprised before looking down, embarrassed. Then Claire followed when she saw the evil glare that covered Karen's flawless face.

She would've called Karen out right then and there but by now everyone in the Inn was watching, so she turned and ran out the door.

She didn't usually let people like Karen get to her, but for some reason that encounter was a bit too embarrassing for her to handle. So before anyone could run after her, she disappeared around the corner. It wasn't long after that until she was safely in her house. Not even bothering to change, she threw her rucksack on the floor and curled up on her bed with Penny. She tried not to think about what had happened at the end, but as everyone knows, if you try _not_ to think about something…you can't get it off of your mind. Luckily before she could overanalyze it any further, the laws of biology caught up with her and she lost the battle only to fall into a deep sleep.

The next morning Claire awoke to a soft knocking at her door. She quickly ran to brush her hair which looked like a mat of straw. When she was remotely presentable, she answered the door.

Waiting outside the door was a frightened chicken, it's equally as frightened but soon to be ex-poultry farmer, and a very beautiful but livid woman who had something to say.


End file.
